Best Social Engineering: Yes, it's time to answer again

[Commy]

There has been some posts and arguements about best social engineering, so now I making another thread.

Please post your favorite social engineering, and then explain why.

Best social engineering (feel free to disagree):

Democracy, Free Market, Wealth, Eudaimonia

For a grand total:

+4 Growth-Big boost to production and pretty much everything

+5 Economy-The best you can get, cash and research up to a maximum. THis makes your economy so good, you can literally buy your way victory in a war, as well as victory its self.

+3 Industry-Combined with the growth, you can literally kill anyone in production

+2 Efficiency-Helps Beauracracy, as well as the economical output. Really useful on higher levels.

-5 Police-Probably why some people hate free markets. Really sucks for the military. My advice to you: Play defensive except for probe teams. As I said earlier, you can buy your way through war, and you can with mind control. Bring out the cash!

-3 Planet-The +5 economy really picks up the tab on this one. Just put clean reactor and hypnotic trance on most units.

-2 Morale-Bad against Psi, but again, use Hypnotic Trance

-2 Support-Use clean reactor, problem solved.

However, by doing a democracy, green, power, and Eudaimonia, you have no disadvantages, and some pretty descent advantages as well.

[Patashu]

I like Demo, Green, Knowledge, Cybernetic personally.

[Method]

Democratic, Free Market, Knowledge, Cybernetic (er, network backbone helps)

+5 efficiency
+2 growth (who cares once you've got future societies anyhow)
+2 economy (the critical +1 energy/tile)
+4 research
-1 planet (dream twister)
-2 support (living refinery)
-2 probe (hunter seeker algorithm)
-8 police (ascentic virtues, network backbone, brood pits, psych

[RX2000]

Police State, Green, Power, Cybernetic

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Patashu
I like Demo, Green, Knowledge, Cybernetic personally.

I like this one as well. Lots of efficiency and bonus to tech.

[Trithemius]

Depends what I am doing, but if I am feeling belligerent it is really hard to pass up the Human Hive with Police State / Planned / Power / Thought Control. If you have the Clone Factory then this leads to no penalties and good military and intelligence modifiers.

[Dis]

I prefer Democracy, green, wealth, thought control

yes democracy and thought control seem contradictory, but oh well. I think there was a wonder that eliminated the negative effects of thought control, I like that one.

[Frankychan]

Police State, Planned, Wealth (or Power if I get rid of that negative). Thought Control/Cybernetic.

Police State because I don't get negatives. Planned because I don't get negatives. Wealth because it's better to have -1 Econ at HQ than ALL bases. And a tie between TC and Cybernetic because I like the thought of running my cities under my iron thumb....but cybernetic bonuses are more beneficial to me in the long run.

(I'll use Eudaimonia if I'm playing PK simply because its the likely choice)

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Dissident
I prefer Democracy, green, wealth, thought control

yes democracy and thought control seem contradictory, but oh well. I think there was a wonder that eliminated the negative effects of thought control, I like that one.

The Cloning Vats! Joyous Cloning Vats!

Eliminates the negative effects of Power and Thought Control and puts all of your bases into population boom.
Such a great Project.

Don't ask me why I called them the Clone Factory in an earlier post, its been a long day..

[Dis]

ahh yes, that is them. I like the video as well One of the better SP videos.

anyways I chose the above choices because I like to field some sort of military. I've never been much of a probe team guy. so I like to keep my morale and police values halfway decent.

[Jethro83]

Depends on the faction really. Without factoring in the secret projects, this is my list:

Gaians: Democratic/Green/Knowledge/Cybernetic

Hive: Police State/Planned/Power/Eudaimonia

University: Democratic/Planned/Knowledge/Cybernetic

Morganites: Democratic/Free Market/Wealth/Cybernetic

Spartans: Democratic/Planned/Knowledge/Thought Control

Believers: Fundamentalist/Free Market/Power/Thought Control

Peacekeepers: Democratic/Planned/Knowledge/Eudaimonia

[CEO Aaron]

Azreal's correct, in that what faction you play has deep repercussions on what qualifies as a 'good' SE combo. I don't necessarily agree with all his choices, however. Also, your circumstances in the game also heavily influence what choices are going to provide the most benefit.

Here are some guidelines that never fail:

If you are at peace and can run it, Wealth is the best value SE choice, with Knowledge being the vanilla runner-up. Free Market starts very strong early, but by the time the midgame rolls around and better terraforming options become available, it starts to pall. Stay out of democracy until you're done expanding horizontally. Losing those first 10 minerals in new bases is more significant than it looks.

Here's my 'best' SE picks for each faction. I don't even consider future society, btw. The game should be over by the time you have more than one of these researched.

Gaians: Demo/Planned/Wealth

Extra efficicency lets you reap the benefits of Planned's industry and Growth without losing too much energy to waste.

Hive: Police/Planned/Wealth

This is a no-brainer, really. Hive is made to run Planned/Police, and wealth counteracts the innate economy hit while adding still more industry. Sure, your troops will emerge greener than they otherwise might, but having twice as many and building reinforcements 30% faster more than makes up for it.

University: Democracy/Green/Wealth

Efficiency and Industry, this is a great peacetime research combination. Running Knowledge is also an option, but your probe rating gets sent to the showers, so you'd better have the HSA.

Morgan: Fundy/Green/Wealth

For mid-game conquest, this SE combo is very hard to beat. Wealth gives +1 energy per square, green keeps efficiency high and allows an aggressive conquest, and Fundamentalism and Creches make Wealth's morale hit disappear.

Spartans: Fundy/Planned/Knowledge

This is an interesting choice for Sparta in the early midgame. Running this SE choice, and having a Command Center, all your ground troops are built at Commando morale. One visit to a Monolith, and they're elite. Now go find your neighbors and beat them up.

Believers: Fundy/Green/Wealth

Remember this combo from Morgan? Well, it works for Mimi too. You don't get +1 energy per square, but the industry and easily mitigated morale hit make for a great combo. Really, Miriam is probably the most flexible of all the momentum factions, she can do anything except research.

Peacekeepers: Democracy/Free Market/Wealth

Your bonus talents make a Golden Age population boom a natural deciscion. Divert some of your income to wealth, build hab complexes, and shoot up to 16 population per base.

[Ouro_827]

I agree with many here...

Demo/Green/Knowledge/Cyber

Most of the time... Usually as Gaia, Uni, or Counciousness... although works good as PKs too.. Other combo that works good is

Demo/Green/Power(Might be wealth... don't remember, but think its power)/Eud

[livid imp]

Originally posted by CEO Aaron
University: Democracy/Green/Wealth

Efficiency and Industry, this is a great peacetime research combination. Running Knowledge is also an option, but your probe rating gets sent to the showers, so you'd better have the HSA.

Huh? I thought that -2 was as low as Probe could go. I am running a Uni game right now and have a -4 Probe and it still lists only -50% to enemy probe team actions.

[Ouro_827]

Still says paradigm economy with +8 efficientcy, and starts saying it with 4 or 6... doesn't mean bonus stops increasing... it just doesn't change the -50% part....